from theguardian.com: The Nato chief, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has joined the US and UK in issuing an urgent public call on Russia to de-escalate tensions in the Ukraine, as pro-Russia separatists remained in control of government buildings in the country’s east. “I call on Russia to de-escalate the crisis, to pull back its troops … to stop destabilising the situation and make clear it does not support the violent actions of pro-Russian separatists,” Rasmussen said at a briefing of EU defence ministers. “Russia should stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.“